University of Washington, Bothell

MFA Program

See writers who attended this program
Program Established: 
2012
Location: 
Bothell, WA
Genre: 
Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
Residency: 
Full
Duration: 
2 Years
Incoming Class Size: 
15-19
Application Deadline: 
February 1, 2024
Application Fee: 
$85
Contact E-mail: 
Contact Name: 
Crystal Galván
Core Faculty Includes: 

Poetry, Prose & Hybrid: Amaranth Borsuk, Ching-In Chen, Jeanne Heuving

Cross-Disciplinary: Anida Yoeu Ali, Amaranth Borsuk, Naomi Macalalad Bragin, Ching-In Chen, Jeanne Heuving, Ted Hiebert, Joe Milutis

2023-24 Visiting Faculty: Kristen Millares Young, Cedar Sigo

Funding/Employment Opportunities: 

The program offers partial scholarships; students are eligible for tuition assistance on a competitive basis; conference/travel funding and community engagement funding are available.

Affiliated Publications/Publishers: 

Clamor (UW Bothell literary & art journal)

Essay Press (EP/MFA Book Prize, offers editorial assistantships)

Other Features: 

Emphasizing experimentation and hybridity, our program invites students to participate in a community concerned with the pursuit of creative writing in a rapidly changing society.

We organize our curriculum into areas of inquiry rather than genres. In contrast to many MFA programs, our students enjoy the freedom to experiment across genres and media as suits their creative purposes and are encouraged to extend their practice beyond the page, drawing upon media, art, and performance.

Community-building and connection are central to what we do. Each academic year kicks off with the Fall Convergence, a gathering of nationally and internationally renowned writers and artists to engage topics in contemporary poetics. The year closes with the Spring Festival, where graduating students share their thesis work publicly and receive a benedictory reading from a student-nominated invited speaker. Our cohorts work closely, bond, and collaborate—both in class and in quarterly salons where they share work in progress.

The priority deadline for autumn admissions and funding is February 1. Late applications are considered.